The D-Day is here as India get set to take on Asian powerhouses Iran in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Preliminary Joint Qualification Game at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore on Tuesday.
Stephen Constantine's side have lost both of the previous qualifiers against Oman and Guam in June this year, and what needs to be seen is whether the underdogs can pose some real threat to Iran today, who are ranked as high as 40th in the world, in comparison to India's 155th ranking.
Iran come into the game at the backdrop of a whopping 6-0 win over Guam on 3 September, while India come after a goalless draw against neighbours Nepal in an international friendly on 31 August in Pune.
And when rankings and performances are concerned, Iran are the favourites in the game today by a long margin. However, former Real Madrid manager and present Iran coach Carlos Queiroz feels otherwise.
"I have great respect for India as opponents. And I don't see the FIFA Rankings as a parameter to judge. It is 11 versus 11 on the field. Nothing less, nothing more!" Queiroz told AIFF's official site.
"We are playing against a difficult opponent. We need three points and so do India. It'll be tough match for both the Teams. Our opponents have families, friends and fans which is the same like us. They also want to win and so do we," the Portuguese coach added.
Even India coach Constantine believes that his team have a chance to get past Iran on the day, as the performances of the 11 players on the pitch from each team will determine the fate of the game.
"There is a great deal of respect for Iran but don't mistake that for fear. It's 11v11 on the field. If we work hard there is a chance that we can take something from this game; and I believe we can," the British coach said.
India talisman Sunil Chhetri says that the clash against Iran will give them an idea of how well the team have trained and progressed so far. "Iran are 40th in the World and the best Team in Asia. The most important thing is to understand what we have trained and how we have trained," Chhetri, who has been appointed as the skipper for the match, said.
"It's always difficult to play exactly the way you want when you play such high ranked team. We need to be fit and do our best. This is the toughest game of my career."
India are curently at the bottom of Group D of the Russia 2018 Preliminary Joint Qualifiers, and the result of today's match will determine if Constantine's side can finish at least in the top three.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD: Matches played: 6, Iran won: 4, India won: 1, Draw: 1
The Indian senior team have beaten Iran only in the final of the first-ever Asian Games in 1951 by a 1-0 scoreline, and the previous encounter between the teams resulted in a 3-0 win for Iran in the Asian Cup Qualifiers in 1992, held in Kolkata.
Where to Watch Live
India vs Iran kicks off at 7pm IST from the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore, on Tuesday, 8 September, 2015.
Football fans can catch the game on Sony Kix/Sony Six HD with with an online live streaming option on Livsports.in. Live updates of the game will provided on the official AIFF twitter handle.
Read all the team news ahead of the game HERE.
